Vision 20/20 Building Update

My report this month consists of a mix of progress combined with some frustration due to sub-

contractor delivery back orders and the COVID-19 virus impact on our wonderful construction teams.

The inside is coming along very nicely with the walls built, mudded, and prepped for painting. The large

kitchen exhaust venting is installed, the new open transition area between the buildings completed, and

the showers and restrooms are looking good. And, as is very evident when you arrive on campus, the

outside work is going gangbusters. The exit and entrance areas are being totally rebuilt, sidewalks are

completed, excavating in the south lot continues, the old portions of the asphalt have been removed in

the front and west areas and is in process in the south. We have done our very best to work around the

PYC return to operations as well as other events; and, I want to applaud our general contractor for their

cooperation and support to our missions as they balance people and automobiles alongside working

with heavy equipment, pouring concrete, and removing asphalt.

Anyone who has followed my articles and presentations over the past few years will know that I

consistently cautioned about the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns (a term used by a

former Secretary of Defense to identify possible challenges regarding things we know we don’t know

and things we don’t know we don’t know). An example of a known unknown would be not being able to

get the kitchen assets on time because of the designer having design and production challenges.

Another known unknown would be a back-hoe hitting a water line that was not on the city plan and a

total surprise when the gush of water shot up. Well, like any major commercial construction project, we

have had our share of those, but nothing like the singular unknown unknown problem of a pandemic

virus and its impact on our construction team. A few of our sub-contractors, primarily the electricians,

have been hit hard by the effects of the virus. It has had an impact on our schedule. On the known

unknown front, the one area of our most concern from the first day – the kitchen – has come to fruition

just as I feared it always would. Our kitchen designer and manufacturer has been a “challenge” to use

the best language I can think of. The general contractor is doing all they can to push this sub-contractor

to complete the custom designed portions of the kitchen, but there is no doubt the schedule is being

negatively impacted by this aspect of the job.

I do not have an updated completion date for the inside work yet. We are coordinating the sub-

contractor back orders and staff availabilities and hope to be able to finish sometime in February. As we

informed everyone last November, the outside completion date is contingent upon the asphalt plants

opening back up in springtime. The excavating company is getting everything else completed so when

that happens they can finish quickly.

As always, please be careful around the construction site, and if you plan on any outside activities, let

me know so we can coordinate with the site project manager and foreman.

The following set of pictures were taken on January 10th.

Jim Curtis

Project Manager

Parking exit on Jamestown Road

Parking entrance and spot expansion on Jamestown Road

New sidewalk, upgraded sewer drains and curbs on Jamestown Road

Exit and entrance along with excavating for sidewalk on Jamestown Road

Doors and viewing access between narthex and new building

Social area (opening straight ahead is fellowship hall, and to the right is restrooms/showers)

Meetings/classrooms area

East wall of fellowship hall with contractor mudding dry wall

Kitchen central with vent and cooking area

Cooler/freezer entrance

View into the fellowship hall from kitchen (note the large serving window)

View of fellowship hall west wall